Pre-concert talk: Stevie Wishart

Tue 16 Jun 2015

Susannah Simons talks to composer Stevie Wishart about her new commission for the OAE entitled ‘Rough with the smooth: Concerto à Double Entendre’. We performed the piece on 12 May at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Pre-concert talk: Sally Beamish in conversation

Tue 12 Aug 2014

Back in May we revived Sally Beamish’s piece Spinal Chords, which we had premiered as part of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012. In this pre-concert event Sally talks to Nicola Christie about reviving her composition two years on from its first performances and the works’ genesis.

Pre-concert talk: Julian Rushton – 29 January 2013

Tue 11 Jun 2013

Professor Julian Rushton takes a detailed look at Mozart’s last three symphonies, in a pre-concert talk given before the concert ‘By Jupiter, that’s the last of Mozart!’ on 29 January 2013 at the Royal Festival Hall, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.

Who are Abel and Arne anyway?

Tue 22 May 2012

Another OAE Extras event from the vault. In this event, recorded back on 21 November 2011, David Vickers, from the Royal Northern College of Music talks about the little-known composers Abel and Arne, and asks why we don’t know more about them.

In conversation with OAE leader Kati Debretzeni

Sun 20 May 2012

One from the vaults, in fact way back in October 2011! This is a recording of our OAE Extras talk from 21 October at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, prior to a concert which Kati was leading. In this event she talked to Nicola Christie about, amongst other things, babychinos, bows and ‘Papa’ Haydn. Apologies for the few quiet episodes in this podcast – Kati abandoned her microphone a few times to play her violin and we also hadn’t miked the audience for questions!

Remembering Sir Charles

Tue 6 Dec 2011

Back in May at the Queen Elizabeth Hall we performed a concert dedicated to Sir Charles Mackerras – who had worked with us almost since the Orchestras foundation and in latter years had been one of our Emeritus Conductors. At the pre-concert talk writer and journalist David Nice talked to OAE players about Sir Charles, and we’re happy that this pre-concert talk is now available to listen to online for those that couldn’t make it to the talk:

Tom Irvine on Bach, Handel and Purcell

Tue 10 May 2011

Here’s the latest in our series of pre-concert talks which we’re making available as podcasts. In this talk from our Baroque. Contrasted. Festival, Tom Irvine, a music historian from the University of Southampton, talks about Bach’s Double Violin Concerto and Purcell’s Fairy Queen.

David Zinman talks about his life, career and recordings

Mon 28 Mar 2011

Here’s the lastest podcast of our OAE Extras pre-concert events. In this one, from our From a Dream to revolution concert back in February, broadcaster Rob Cowan talks to conductor David Zinman about his career, life and recordings.

2nd installment in our pre-concert talk series

Fri 18 Feb 2011

Back in January before our Mahler/Wagner/Liszt Symphonic Enlightenment concert at the RFH, Robert Philip gave a pre-concert talk discussing what impact the onset of the ‘recording era’ in the early 20th century had in helping us to understand what Mahler’s sound-world might have been like. Take a listen: